Some AU sites have the Garmin Vector for an introduction price, e.g., http://www.pushys.com.au/garmin-vector-powerpedal.html for 1450 AUD.
They ship to the USA (and other countries) and according to an e-mail from their support there is no problem with warranty.
I wanted to buy it but it turns out the Vector does not fit on my bike :-(

08-09-2013

difficult

Why would you think that the Vector does not fit on your bike? What kind of cranks are you using?

08-09-2013

Got Time

The Garmin Vector owner manuals states:
"NOTE: There must be at least 5 mm clearance between the chain and the crank arm."
when the chain is on "the largest chain ring and the smallest cassette gear."
For my bike it is less than 4mm (a bit more than 3mm).

08-09-2013

difficult

That clearance is so the pedal pod does not contact the chain. As the pedal pod is on the outside of the crank I believe you can use a few of the washers included in order to gain enough clearance.

08-09-2013

Got Time

(seems this discussion would be better in a different subforum, but anyway...)

There's a "rubber cable" on the back of the crank arm that connects the pod to the pedal spindle.
As can be seen in the video:Ensuring_Vector_fits_your_bike
Garmin "recommends" at least 5mm clearance so the chain does not rub against (and damage) the cable.
On a bad road surface this can probably happen rather often if there is not enough distance between chain and cable.

Looks like that's a good reason to follow Garmin's recommendations for chain clearance.

As someone wrote elsewhere: "why isn't the pod integrated into the pedal?"
That would resolve this problem...
However, using two different parts makes it simpler for Garmin to implement this power meter with different pedals (requires "just" a new spindle, not a complete pedal).

08-09-2013

ukbloke

Quote:

Originally Posted by Got Time

As someone wrote elsewhere: "why isn't the pod integrated into the pedal?"

I would guess:

Not enough space for the electronics - costly/impractical to make it fit

Standard batteries won't fit inside the spindle

And the biggie ... ANT+ wireless transmission from inside a metal spindle and obstructed by a shoe and foot is not good

I'd think that the cable could be taped to the crank to reduce risk of rubbing.

08-09-2013

Got Time

Well, the question was: "why isn't the pod integrated into the pedal?"
Note: "into the pedal", not "into the spindle".
The pedal body could be modified to house the electronics and battery, but see my previous posting why that isn't such a good idea from a commercial point of view.